A Tampa mother is now facing a child neglect charge after leaving her 2-year-old in her car with no air conditioner.
Last week, a passerby went into a nearby business to have someone contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to report a 2-year-old girl screaming inside a vehicle in the parking lot of Home Instead Senior Care on Busch Boulevard.
"It's something you just don't do," said Tony Alonso, who works nearby. "I just happened to look out my window, there was about eight deputies here."
The child was alone in the vehicle, which was running, for about an hour. The air conditioning was broken, but the fan was left on.
Deputies found 21-year-old Mirelys Acosta-Cruz inside of Home Instead Senior Care. She was there for a job interview. The child was in good condition and taken into protective custody by Child Protective Investigative Services.
Acosta-Cruz was arrested on scene.
We spoke to Acosta-Cruz at her home about 20 minutes from the business. She mentioned the high cost of healthcare, and said she still doesn't have a job and didn't want the story to go public.
